Once Upon a Time
by depression76
Summary: What are the chances that you can get your fairytale brought to life? AU WIP
1. Say Hello

**Disclaimer: MGLN belongs to 7arcs. I own nothing but the plot.  
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**Once Upon a Time**

_Chapter 1. Say Hello._

'…_the fire spread wildly through the castle—scorching the ground white with its power, sending a thick stream of darkness into the once blue sky. Swords went against shields, barriers were casted to fend off summoned spells and most of all blood was shed on that day. A woman's loud order was heard throughout the chaotic mess—issuing a command to her people._

"_Get the innocents out! Don't panic—douse the fire with water! Front lines, keep your guard up!"_

_She levitate calmly there amongst the destructions, magical pulses radiating off of her in endless waves, making her long white robe whipped around her being like an angel's wings. Her opponent would have to disagree, however. She was no angel._

_None would live after a skirmish against her._

_The one and only…_

_The White Devil of Arcadia.'_

The throat gulped as a hand flipped over the page, trembling slightly in excitement. It was clear to anyone's eyes at this moment that the girl, who was lying on her front on the comfortable queen-sized bed, was completely taken by her reading to care about her surroundings.

Wine-red irises focused on the words that were written on the pages religiously while a slight tremor ran through her body. Soft gasps and several sounds full of awe tumbled out of the pink lips unconsciously as the words put images in her mind, and delivered to her a movie that had pretty much sucked her soul.

Fate Testarossa, age 17, was obsessed.

With a fantasy novel, _Arcadia_, that she has 7 copies of—all of them sitting there side by side in her bookshelf…and yet, only one copy was uncovered off of its plastic protection.

People her age would perceive her as odd…

Why would a beautiful, 17 years old teenage girl prefer the company of a book during this lovely Sunday morning, rather than the company of a human being?

The reason was simple.

This book…_Arcadia_…was pretty much Fate's whole world.

She loved the book…she lives in it.

And she adored _her_.

Ever since the first time Fate had read about her, she was completely enamored by the White Devil of Arcadia, the main protagonist of the book. The general of the Arcadia Kingdom's Royal army who was an enigma, a mixture of everything that contradicts, a very confusing person with wits that would make the reader smile and nod in approval and delight.

A well rounded and realistic character in a fantastical setting…how could _not _Fate like her?

The blonde had followed the White Devil's journey ever since the latter was little girl, tracing and marking her steps through history until she became the strongest and most famous General in Arcadia's universe…Fate even felt that she knew about this character better than she even know her own mother! She knew all about the White Devil as though that person was her own sister, and she could gladly bragged about it in this online forum she visited.

Yes, forum…online.

Fate's not that much of a people person.

Born shy, grew up shy, and was still shy 17 years later.

That one problem there made something as simple as making friends as hard as climbing the Eiffel tower during a hot summer day. Well, that was an exaggeration, but the theory pretty much proves the point. She didn't really have someone she could call a friend.

Thus was why—upon reading Arcadia and coming across the White Devil, it was pretty much engraved in her mind that this stubborn general was her friend…albeit in a wonky, strange sort of way.

Yes, her mind was weird.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Fate placed her bookmark snuggly in between the pages of the slightly worn book before closing it carefully. She was done reading for the day, there's no need to rush finishing the book since she know it inside and outside anyway. The girl sat up and stretched her numb arms, still smiling because of the book.

She had read until the part where the White Devil bathed the battleground in bright pink lights and proceed to blast the whole lot mercilessly after setting up barriers around her people. That big feat done all by her…it was amazing! It made the blonde shiver in excitement from just thinking about the powers that woman clad in white possessed.

Her thoughts were broken by the loud beeping from the digital clock placed on her bedside table.

'_It's almost dinner time.' _Fate noted as she brought her arms to her side, eyes still staring at the bright red neon lights. She didn't really feel like cooking tonight…cooking and eating for herself was something she's used to, but her mood was in a rather weird place right now and it would be a good idea if she just buy a takeout dinner and be done with it.

Heavens know that she needed to go out of the house more.

And with that, the girl stood up from the bed, snatched her wallet and grabbed her coat, before she heads out into the slightly chilly night, leaving an empty house behind.

~888~

The trip to 7eleven was done rather quickly, and Fate heaved out a misty breath as she stepped out of the warm convenience store. She had bought a bento and a warm canned coffee for dinner tonight, and some chips and onigiri to snack on while she read the rest of Arcadia's chapters.

A smile found itself upon her face as she thought about her favorite book. She has half a mind to write a fanfiction about it once she's done re-reading it for the thousandth time, thus was why, with an excited little sound escaping from her throat, the blonde girl made her way back to her house.

The night was particularly chilly today since it was nearing winter, so there weren't that many people outside walking at this hour. Probably some salary men coming back from work, some of them walking and mumbling drunkenly which Fate know were the ones that had a particularly hard day at work.

Not being one who's socially active, Fate has always contented herself with people-watching, and after several years of practice she could safely say that she's pretty good at reading people non-verbally. And that works much better than words could in getting to know a person.

Feeling the temperature starting to drop, Fate quickened her footsteps. Her skin was already prickling thanks to the cold and she found herself longing for the warmth that her room provides with its comfortable heater. Crimson eyes glanced at her surroundings as she traced the familiar road back home, hands shoved deeply inside her coat pockets for added warmth since she forgot her gloves at home.

The once rhythmic steps faltered as something caught the burgundy red eyes by the intersection.

A group of guys were huddling around something, laughing jeering and pointing. All of her instincts were screaming for Fate to ignore this and go straight home, but a part of her was curious. She has a bad feeling about this…and for once she wanted to go against her instincts. It didn't come as a surprise when several moments later she found herself walking closer to the group.

"Ahahahaha! Look at this! What the hell—fortune telling?"

One of the guys jeered, his foot playing with something that was on the ground, round in shape and made out of…glass?

"Ne, obaa-san, you're too desperate if you're doing this for a living. Go do this someplace else! This is _our _territory!" the one that looked like the leader pushed aside a desk that was set up and send tarot cards flying everywhere. Tea cups shattered and the boys laughed even more at the mess.

Frowning, Fate walked closer, and while trying not to get noticed, and in midst of the group of guys, she saw something that made her heart ache in sympathy. A small figure dressed in a black robe was huddled on a stool in fear, making squeaking noise that was drowned by the jeering. It reminds the blonde so much of a familiar scene that happened to her at school, being surrounded by people helplessly without being able to defend herself.

More laughter jerked her out of her daydream and her feet stopped moving when the round thing that was played by one of the guys rolled towards her. A foot stuck out to stop the ball and Fate realized that it was a crystal ball as she picked it up.

'_This must have costs a lot…' _she thought as she studied the well made crystal ball, and her heart goes to the poor woman. Clenching her hands, she made up her mind, and the blonde wished for any luck the Gods could give her as she walked towards the group.

"Hey," her voice was clear despite her fear, and that was enough to stop the laughter and drew their attention to her. Fate fought with her habit to cower as eyes turned towards her, even from the cloaked person who was huddling on the ground right now "stop it. You're being a nuisance to the neighborhood."

Fate couldn't believe it.

WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?

She sounded so cocky and the blonde had to hold back a cringe that threatened to take over on her face.

The girl shivered when the guys stopped their activities and advanced towards her. Seeing from their annoyed faces, she knows that what's going to happen now was not going to be as easy as it goes in those manga. Should she start praying now? She couldn't move from her spot anyway.

Burgundy eyes closed in reflex as they got closer and Fate braced for the world of pain that was to follow—

"HEY!"

A deep voice roared out and it shocked Fate that her eyes snapped open. A policeman that was going on his nightly rounds shined his flashlight at them "hey! You scoundrels!" he was eyeing the group of boys that backed away at the sight of him.

"Dammit! Let's get out of here!" they scattered away like paper blown by the wind and ignored the fact that their punching bag was left behind blinking in shock. The policeman ring his bicycle's bell in annoyance before got on his trusty steed and rode after them. Fate blinked as the policeman whizzed by her and yelling something at the boys.

She didn't waste time before she went to the cloaked woman's side.

"Are you alright?" she helped the lady up gently, not wanting to be rough in case this woman was hurt. The cloaked woman gave a timid nod and a small bow of gratitude.

Fate wondered of what this lady looks like, because she couldn't see the face "um, are you hurt anywhere?" her eyes glanced over and saw that the cloak was a bit dirty, but not ripped.

A shake of the head was given and she gave an 'oh' in return. The blonde fidgeted in her spot, feeling her social awkwardness came up once more in the face of this stranger. Her people quota for the day was full and she really REALLY needs to go back home.

"Um…umm….okay. Er, here," she handed the crystal ball back to its owner "umm, be careful on your way back." Blushing a bit because she was talking with a stranger, Fate gave an awkward bow before she ran for her life—err, ran for home.

"Wait!" a voice rang out and halted her in her steps. That made the blonde turned around and was surprised to hear that it was a girl's voice that came from under the cloak.

"Y-yea?"

The girl in the cloak seemed to squirm in her spot and fiddled around with her crystal ball before she replied back "uh…thank you…" Bright eyes peeked from under the hood that Fate only caught a glimpse of.

But that was enough to make the blush on her cheeks to deepen into an intense red. This person's gratitude warmed her heart more than her coat could do. That brought a small yet sincere smile to Fate's face as she nodded back in return.

"And—" the girl spoke out once more, earning the blonde's attention once again "be careful…a storm of change is coming your way." The way she spoke the warning was soft, but the words seemed to echo in Fate's mind who heard it loud and clear.

The chilly wind blew by and strengthening the eeriness of the situation. The blonde girl then realized that the hair at the back of her neck was standing up for some reason…fear creep into her heart and Fate fought the urge to whimper.

The cloaked girl gave another nod at her before turning away to tidy up her belongings that were on the ground.

Fate opened her mouth to inquire more about the…mysterious warning, but the circumstances were against her tonight. She decided that it was enough excitement for the day and without thinking twice, she turned around and continue her way home, walking quicker than necessary.

Without either of the two girls knowing, the crystal ball glowed dimly against the blanket of darkness.

~888~

Fate didn't know why it became that way, but she figured it must all be because of that fortune teller's weird warning. The following day after that night, the blonde had gotten paranoid, even more paranoid than usual, that she began to act strange because of it. The fortune teller told her to be careful…but of what?

Because of lack of sleep, caused by nightmare, she couldn't concentrate well in school and gym was a horrible, horrible time because of it. It was basketball day and God knows how many times she missed the passes her teammates threw at her, and that made her day worse than usual. Her out of town mother called after she got home and practically said that she's disappointed in Fate for not having the perfect grade the last midterm. After years and years being told as disappointment, Fate didn't take it that hard…but it still hurt nonetheless. And in that miserable state did the girl fell asleep. Crying softly not because out of sadness, but out of frustration and disappointment at herself.

Why couldn't she be what her mother wanted her to be?

Sobbing to herself, Fate couldn't deny that she's lonely and miserable. The reason why she's so obsessed with the book was because she was lonely. She couldn't get any friend even though she tried, and well, the only people who paid attention to her are the bullies…if she may say. The blonde wished that she had someone who's there just for her…

And ease this loneliness…


	2. The Unexpected Guest

**Disclaimer: MGLN belongs to 7arcs. I own nothing but the plot.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and please enjoy the chapter.**

**Once Upon a Time**

_Chapter 2. __The Unexpected Guest_

That night, Fate's sleep was plagued with an intense dream. If the girl was conscious, she would have realized that this dream was particularly different than any other dreams she's ever had before. This one was like flashes. Endless flashes of places and sceneries, of unknown things and unfamiliar faces that was so much like a movie on fast forward. The blonde's breathing raced as the pictures flashed even quicker in her mind, making her toss and turn on the bed, bullets of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

The pictures flashing in her mind were making her sick down right to her stomach but not that severe that it would wake her up. The flashes of scenery were showing her of a faraway land of green that looked so much like a western countryside. The pictures slowed down for a moment, showing Fate a scene between a little family of 5 who all looked very happy. A father, a mother, the older brother, an older sister…and the baby of the group, an auburn haired girl who had her hair up in cute little pigtails.

The little girl was laughing happily as her father lifted her up into the air, and the sound of her laugh made a little smile tugged at the corner of Fate's lips. The father twirled his little girl up into the air, earning peals of laughter, before lowering her back down to the ground. That scene made Fate's heart ache. She has always wanted something like that, a hug and a twirl in the air from when she was a little kid. The blonde had never known her Father, and her Mother never told her about him much. On the other hand, expecting that kind of affection coming from her Mother was just wistful thinking from her side.

Her attention was diverted once more when the pigtailed girl seemed to notice that someone was watching her. The girl's head turned and blue eyes sparkled as she smiled widely at Fate. The blonde could feel her heart stop at the brilliant smile and warm redness flushed onto her cheeks, a familiar occurrence when she's embarrassed or shy. But never, did anyone ever take her by surprise with a simple smile.

She never had a chance to dwell on this feeling caused by the girl's smile any longer since the pictures flashed once more before her eyes. This time though, it focused on the little girl. The pictures flashed and showed Fate how the little girl grows throughout the years, very seemingly like a fast forward scene in a movie. That adorable girl grew into a devastatingly beautiful woman in her early twenties right there before Fate's eyes. But not only the girl, the scenery and landscape around the auburn haired girl too evolved along with her.

The once sea of endless green turned into ashen grey as it was torn apart by war along the years. No more were the sight of the laughing village folks, replaced by screaming and yelling of the people as they run for their lives. Vivid red flames licked the now black and murky sky as it spread along on the ground, merciless of anything or anyone on its path. Blood spill and tears were shed, and Fate's heart ache as she saw a mother cried over her fallen son. The blonde was never good with sad things, and as though knowing this, the picture sped up once more. It took a longer while until the flashes stopped once again.

And this time, it was on a particular auburn haired woman.

She was no longer smiling, or wearing her hair in those cute little pigtails. Her hair was now up in what looked like a side ponytail, and her beautiful face was marred by blood. The once laughing countenance was replaced by a frown that almost looked like a snarl. And in her hands…in those innocent hands…she was holding a majestic spear that seems to glow with power. The woman tore through the battlefield, cutting down enemies and stabbing anyone who came to halt her in her path. She was a woman on a mission and the slate blue eyes of hers hardened as she looked on forward towards her goal.

It made Fate's heart ache for a different reason when she saw this scene. Her mind seemed to know what was going on as the scenes played itself in front of her eyes. She knew this woman; she knew why the sight of her made her heart longed almost so desperately. This person in her dream…her name was at the tip of Fate's tongue.

'_Nanoha.'_

And just like that, the flashes seemed to stop…for a moment before it sped up at an alarming rate. The intensity was so severe that it nauseated her. Fate could distinctively hear the vivid sounds of pages rustlings, as though someone was turning over the pages of a book feverishly. Her breathing raced, and sweat rolled down the bridge of her nose. Fate tossed and turned on the now slightly damp bed as the rustlings continued.

'_Stop it.' _She found herself wishing as the nausea builds up because of the flashing scene.

'_Stop it.' _The rustlings of the pages were not helping; they seemed to speed up even more at her plea.

'_Just…STOP IT!'_

A loud piercing scream tore through the air, and burgundy eyes snapped open. Fate gasped loudly as though she had been submerged without oxygen and reached out a hand, groping blindly as though she's struggling to cling onto something that will calm her down. The girl panicked when her legs were tangled in her blankets and—

_THUD._

…Fate fell off the bed.

Burgundy eyes blinked blearily as she stared up her ceiling, the chirpings of the early birds sounded in the background. It took several blinks and deep breath to snap the girl back to normal. The dream was still vivid in her mind, and the picture of the auburn haired woman kept replaying itself before her eyes.

Finally, she sat up and cradled her face in both of her slightly clammy hands.

'_Okay…so I was dreaming. Apparently I dreamt of Arcadia…and Nanoha.'_

That much the blonde knows. That sunset tinted hair was hard to miss if you're one of those obsessed fan of the book like Fate. The scenery and landscape that she saw in her dreams were also recognized as the land of Arcadia before and during the war that plagued it in the middle of the story. But the way the scenes played out made it seem unreal to be just a dream. It felt to Fate like a vision of another world showing itself to her, as if telling her that Arcadia was not just a story in a book.

"Hah." The girl let out a laugh of disbelief "yeah, right. And next thing I know I have a devil in my kitchen."

_CLANG! CRASH! BAM!_

The rows of earsplitting sounds of the pans falling down and hitting the floor tiles, the dining table upturning and plates smashing into pieces jerked the girl out of her thoughts so hard that she might have jumped two feet into the air. All blood drained from her face when Fate calmed down enough to think.

"…There's an intruder in the house!" the terrified girl managed to squeak.

The array of noises continued on as the blonde trembled and squeaked on the ground, huddled in her warm blankie. Fate couldn't even think clearly right at this moment. The things that ran through her head were along of how the thieves were ransacking the house at this moment, and how her Mother was going to flip out and kill her twice if she wasn't killed by the thieves first. Yes, Fate has the tendency to think negatively at times like this, a little ray of sunshine ain't she?

After squeaking and making herself resemble a mouse, Fate stopped her intense shaking and slapped her own cheeks hard.

_No, she's not a coward!_

Those words were repeated over and over again in her mind as she grabbed the nearest blunt object she has, a shinai or a bamboo sword that she'd bought a couple of years ago for a prop that goes along with the costume of the Flame General from Arcadia.

Her footsteps were light as she padded through the corridor and slowly inched towards the destruction that was happening in her house's living room. The trembling never stop as Fate grabbed tightly to the hilt of the bamboo sword, holding it up like a baseball bat since she didn't have any experience in sword arts whatsoever.

The thieves didn't seem to realize her presence as the blonde descended the stairs and crept towards the living room. To her outmost horror, Fate could only stare as the thieves flipped over the couch and smashed the vase, good Lord her Mother's precious vase!, against the wall. Her blood ran cold as she stepped even further into the half destroyed living room.

And when the sight was processed through her mind, the usually gentle girl swore.

"What the hell—!"

The thought of a group of thieves ransacking her house was thrown right out the window. All there in her mind was disbelief as she stared at the figure of an auburn haired woman with sunset tinted hair poking a hole through the family's plasma screen TV.

What literally made the girl sputter was the fact that the woman was poking her TV with a spear…with a golden tip that awfully resembled handheld cannon. This was just like a scene in those mangas, the woman of her dreams appeared in the flesh and was now wreaking havoc upon her home. Fate has absolutely no idea where to start freaking out.

After poking quite a large hole onto the plasma screen and made it sizzle with electricity, the tall woman seem to notice a new presence in the room and turned her attention towards Fate. The grip on the spear tightened as the blonde squeaked and trembled under the strong gaze of the slate blue eyes.

"Speak," the woman intoned "who are you and where is this place."

The tone was commanding and demanding at the same time. Fate's eyes were drawn to the very pointy and sharp-looking tip of the spear and she felt a huge urge to just bolt right out of the place and scream out like a lunatic. But no, something else in her, the courageous part of her that was usually on slumber, said that she should stay her ground and answer this woman who single handedly demolished her kitchen and living room and grow a spine for once!

"I—" her voice cracked out of nervousness and Fate nearly punched herself out of frustration "I'm Fate Testarossa…and this is my home."

She nearly whimpered when her burgundy eyes swept through her 'home'. So many things were destroyed and shattered to pieces. At this rate, she would be murdered the instant her mother stepped foot into the house. You know mothers right? Their glare could set guilty children on fire.

The woman, oblivious to Fate's inner struggle, only nodded solemnly.

"You have a nice home," even though her voice was clipped, that seem to be the start of a polite conversation "…and yet you have demonic objects littered around your home! I would spare you with a painless death if you can explain to me what those moving pictures are!"

The woman pointed at the utterly destroyed plasma television with her spear, jabbing dangerously at it.

'Oh.' Fate thought dumbly 'she was watching TV.'

"Um…" how should she explain the function of a television to someone who came out from a freaking fantasy book? Should Fate even try? At the glare the woman gave her, Fate chooses to 'try' rather than painless death. And so, she spent the next five minutes telling the lady clad in white about the invention of the appliance that was called the television and its ingenious use by the human kind of the modern world.

As expected, her companion regarded her explanation with a perfect poker face with slate blue eyes blinking with barely hidden confusion.

"…and that is now called Plasma TV." Fate ended her short lecture with a dramatic pause, a hand waving at the non-functioning family TV as an added effect.

A pregnant pause took place as she waited for the woman's response.

"I see." The spear tip poked gingerly once more at the cracked plasma screen that's now oozing strange yellowish liquid that dripped slowly into the expensive Persian rug her mother bought from that auction. That did it for Fate.

"UGYAAHHHH" a frustrated yell tore out of the blonde's throat that even shocked the other occupant of the house. Fate grabbed and pulled on the blonde hair that she had in a low tail and paced back and forth with something that looked closely like a panic attack.

Chest heaving, her breathing was out in short gasps as Fate muttered to herself.

"Okay. Calm down. This is just a dream." A slap to her own cheeks "that still hurt, so this is one of those freaky nightmares that will let you feel the pain as though it's reality. Okay. So I am not in my living room right now, that's half destroyed, and I was not making a conversation with a fantasy character about how the television came to existence."

Burgundy eyes lifted and met shocked slate blue before they lowered once more and the blonde resumed her pacing.

"Okay, so the fantasy character did NOT just give me a what-the-fuck look and she did NOT just blink in bewilderment at my panic attack. No. This is just a dream Fate Testarossa, and you will wake up if you count to ten. Loudly."

Fate then took this chance to count to ten loudly as her companion stared at her with a slightly slack jaw. She did not expect this at all when she left the compound this morning.

"…nine…TEN! OPEN!" burgundy eyes snapped open in a comical manner as the bugged out eyes stared at the lady in white who only snorted softly at the action. No, the woman did not disappear at the count of ten and no, the living room and kitchen did not return back to normal at the count at ten. At that point, the panicked Fate reached her maximum quota of the day—

And she fainted.

What she never realized was that before her body hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her just in time and pulled her into safety.


	3. The Unexpected Guest Part 2

**Disclaimer: MGLN belongs to 7arcs. I own nothing but the plot.**

**A/N: This and the last chapter was supposed to be one chapter, but it's gotten so big that I had to cut it in half. Thanks for the encouraging reviews guys, I was thinking of stopping if anyone's not reading this. Please enjoy this chapter.**

**Once Upon a Time**

_Chapter 3. __The Unexpected Guest__ part 2_

_SPLASH_

The cold water that hit her face woke Fate up like a kiss would to the sleeping princess. The blonde gasped as she sat up, torso dripping wet and eyes blinking rapidly as her brain scrambled to catch up and into function once more.

"Are you awake now?" a slightly annoyed voice asked and Fate turned to the owner. It was that lady. The White Devil of Arcadia herself who asked her that, while sitting down on the recliner that her Mother bought from that famous online shopping site. The Devil, yes that woman was a devil, was holding a pan…that must have been how she splashed the cold water on to Fate.

Now that she was awake and calmer than earlier, Fate finally had the chance to study the unexpected guest that had dropped by in her house.

The Devil was clad in white, just like the book said. Her sunset tinted hair was up in a side tail that was tied by a single white ribbon. This style would be strange on other people but on this case, it actually added to this particular woman's attractiveness. She's clad in a white barrier jacket, equivalent to an armor, with blue lining that gave it an accent. The white robe was sleeveless and the collar was up, over a tall turtleneck that reached the undersides of her jaw. A shoulder guard adorned the woman's right shoulder, while the left shoulder was free of burden further signifying the dominant arm. Blue gauntlets protected the forearms with red jewels on them, glinting against the sunlight. Certainly this person was dressed for a battle, and looked severely out of place sitting on the recliner in this torn-apart living room.

Was that disappointment Fate felt once she knew that this wasn't a dream?

Rather than replying to the question her guest asked, the blonde chose to do something else.

Lamenting on her bad luck.

"Oh God…my Mother is going to kill me!" Fate muttered hysterically into her hands. What should she say to explain this chaos? Telling her Mother about a character coming to life from her novel and single handedly demolished the living room was not going to go well for sure and she's not stupid enough to try that.

The devil lady frowned at the words however "Has killing children become a norm in this society?" apparently, someone did not get the fact that Fate didn't quite mean those words literally. Being from another world must have done that to her.

Fate only groaned and face palmed, not even replying to that. This was so messed up! She didn't know what to do right now, and where to start freaking out. Her mind buzzed with so much thought that made her feel like puking her guts out and for once she's glad that the devil lady wasn't poking anymore hole into the TV.

_Rumblerumblerumblerumble._

Blonde brows twitched.

'_Was that…rumbling?'_

The rumbling continued on and Fate lifted her head, trying to look for the source of the very amusing sound. Thankful for her sharp hearing, the blonde teenager soon found the source of the rumbling to be the stomach of the poker-faced spear-wielding lady that was comfortably seated on the recliner couch.

And yet that lady wasn't doing anything. Not even bothering to stand up and go to the fridge or—oh yea, she didn't even know what a fridge was.

Slightly amused, Fate tried her luck.

"…are you hungry?" she bit back her laugh. This was just hilarious, but favorite character or not, this lady scared her enough to stop the laughter from bursting out.

The lady nodded without hesitation "Go fetch me some food now."

"…"

Was that an order?

"Go fetch me some food. NOW."

The very pointy spear was helping her make the point and the next thing Fate knew she was cooking breakfast for the two of them. Now clad in a clean and dry t-shirt, she totally opted to skip school and would dedicate her time to figure what the freaking heck was happening to her and what kind of God would be so evil to bestow this misfortune upon the poor little lamb.

"Is it done yet?" the devil lady had made herself comfortable on one of the chairs by the dining table that Fate had arranged back into place earlier. Blue eyes were fixed on her back and Fate fidgeted at the stare.

The pan sizzled as she replied "No, it'll be ready in a moment."

"How long is a moment? You are moving too slowly!"

The usually calm Fate gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes heavenwards for the umpteenth time that morning. She's just glad that the devil didn't see her doing this or that spear would have gutted her middle open.

A plate was placed gingerly in front of the auburn haired woman, making its content shake from the force. Her majesty had demanded that Fate cook her something delicious and Fate, not one to antagonize the spear-wielding woman, relented and cook her plate of eggs, sausages, bacon and ham. Except for the fact that there were _a lot_ of eggs, sausages, bacons and hams that Fate had put in the plate.

The blonde herself settled with a plate with much less content on it and sat down across from the woman who poked her breakfast with her fork…

"What now?" the tired Fate sighed. She's mentally exhausted after dealing with this infuriating woman.

Blue eyes flicked up at her before staring back at the food, poking it repeatedly.

"I'm looking for poison."

"If you want arsenic I can give you that for lunch later."

"…what?"

The blonde ignored her and just dug into her breakfast silently. After several moment of staring at Fate eating without a care in the world and was finally assured that the food was not poisoned, the auburn haired woman begin eating. A small excited sound came from her throat as she sped up her eating and Fate, as much as she was exasperated at her companion, could not help but smile at the sight. Even though she's wolfing down her food, the lady still managed to look graceful and enchanting. Shaking her head of the ridiculous thought, the blonde finished her food and pour them two glasses of orange juice.

The plates were soon cleaned out of its content and the two people in the dining table were left to calmly enjoy their fresh pulpy orange juice. While waiting for her guest to finish up earlier, Fate went to clean up and salvage what's left of the living room and kitchen and found a copy of her _Arcadia_ novel that was apparently torn to pieces. This didn't look like something a spear could do that's why she knew that this destruction to her precious was probably the only thing that the White Devil did not cause this morning. And now she was studying the destroyed book, glancing at its cover and back and wondered how the novel that she had taken care of meticulously ended up this way.

A dull clink of a glass against wooden surface was heard and Fate looked up to see a satisfied White Devil sighing out in content. Well now, this seemed to be the right moment for questioning, and thus Fate took the plunge, feeling her courage creeping up slowly back inside her.

Taking a deep breath, she started.

"May I ask you some question?"

Auburn eyebrows lifted as blue eyes regarded her calmly. Maybe the woman thought that she was no enemy and was not much of a threat that she didn't even bother to go into a defensive stance like earlier.

"Go ahead. I owe you after the delicious meal you have provided me."

'_It was like talking to a queen!'_ Fate squealed out inside her mind, struggling with her inner fangirl that threatened to come out since the situation has calmed down. Another deep breath was taken.

"Who are you?" her hands became clammy in anticipation.

The chair was pushed back a bit as the woman crossed one leg over the other in an attempt to relax.

"I am Nanoha, the First Regiment General of the Arcadian Kingdom." Her answer was very firm and Fate could hear the pride that Nanoha has over her position. This was so intense that Fate couldn't help but tear up from her happiness.

SHE'S TALKING TO NANOHA.

THE WHITE DEVIL OF ARCADIA.

HER IDOL!

People would have killed to have this chance to talk to her! _Her! To Nanoha!_

The excited blonde could only manage a small happy squeak as she surrendered to her fangirl self. Yes, this situation was very out of this world, but let her savor the happiness for just one minute before they go into the serious stuff. A few minutes were needed before Fate calm herself enough to continue this conversation. Nanoha was staring at her during her inner struggle.

"Are you real? I mean, you're not just a nutter who came into my house to convince me that I am in need of some mental guidance are you?"

This morning's incident was very crucial to Fate's mental state.

"…"

Nanoha only grabbed her spear and pointed it at an empty chair. The blonde realized it just a moment too late until a bright overly-pink laser beam shoot out from the tip and incarcerate the poor innocent chair into a pile of black ash in less than a second.

The White Devil turned her impassive face at the blonde who was pale and looked simply horrified at the scene that just played in front of her eyes.

Yes, that just answered Fate's question. Nanoha was very much real and she was very much alive. After stuttering and sputtering nonsense words to get back her bearings and tried to ignore the panicking that had begun once more inside of her, Fate continued on.

"…How did you get here?"

Now at this question a sudden tense atmosphere set immediately into place. It was as if a taboo question was asked and they're now awaiting judgment. But nothing was taboo really; this was the one crucial question that was needed to be asked. You don't have characters from a fantasy book coming to life everyday you know? There had to be some Godly force at play here and Fate needed to know…how and who.

Something akin to a frustrated sigh came from Nanoha as she shook her head slowly. Blue eyes opened and they were stormy with thoughts.

"I have no idea. The last thing I remember was retreating into a church when the Silver Witch attacked…and a bright light engulfed me. The very next thing I knew I was lying down there," the lady in white pointed at the living room "and my very first instinct was to defend myself from danger."

And that, translate to Fate, as demolishing an innocent teenager's house because of paranoia. But her attention was shifted to Nanoha once more as the latter pointed at the novel held in her hands.

"When I woke up, that book was flipping its pages," from the sound of it, even the White Devil herself found this incident bizarre "all by itself, as though invisible hands were turning it. It did that until it reached the last page and then the book just…exploded."

Well, that explained much about the tattered and half destroyed state of her novel. At least now Fate's _fully _convinced that Nanoha was not the one who destroyed her book.

After the general explained herself, nothing else was said. The two were stumped because none of these made sense. The one being summoned to this world didn't know why and how she got into Fate's home in the first place and Fate herself have absolutely no idea why this happened to her. Nothing like this ever happened before for all the blonde knows and she have no idea of who to turn to for help. And in midst of her frantic thinking, Nanoha spoke up once more.

"Listen here little girl, I want to make things clear," at the tone of the voice Fate stiffened. Nanoha returned to using her clippy, commanding voice that chilled the blonde's blood from how cold it sounds "I want you to return me immediately to Arcadia. The Silver Witch is wreaking havoc upon my country as we speak and I would not have it if we waste more time here any longer!"

Really?

Fate wanted to cry.

Even though if Nanoha threatened her, demanded her, she could do nothing of those sort! She can't barely swing a bamboo sword properly, what chance could she have with doing hocus pocus of a magic trick that could re-did Nanoha's summon? Her mind went to replay everything that happened before this in order to find out if anything strange had triggered this...catastrophe.

So before this she was sleeping, and dreaming and yesterday was a bad day…gym was horrible…and before that she was sho—OH!

A light bulb seemed to lit up inside her head.

It's that fortune telling girl that she met the other night! That girl seemed to be strange enough to warrant this kind of bizarre happening! And there were some strange things that she brought along that night, maybe that girl was planning to summon Nanoha but things happened and Fate ended up with the general instead! Yeah! So this was not her fault!

Turning excitedly at the frowning guest, Fate immediately scrambled out of her seat.

"I have an idea! Come with me!"

~888~

After spending a long while in persuading the general to change into Fate's hoodie and jeans (Nanoha was very adamant about taking off her barrier jacket), the two left the house and ventured to the outside world. The blonde couldn't help but notice the gawking looks Nanoha kept giving out as she was dragged along the streets. The famous general of Arcadia kept pointing out at stuff like the stop sign, the traffic light, the zebra cross and everything else that was just random normal things for people at this era. Her attitude resemble a kid's innocence and curiosity and the look of the child-like wonder on her face was so adorable Fate found herself staring at times on the way to that one place from two nights ago.

It was when they're waiting for the crossing lights to turn green did Nanoha speak up "Where are we going?"

Fate, who had been holding to the auburn haired woman's wrist ever since they left the house turned to her companion and spoke in a soft voice "We're going to see someone who…I _think _might have an idea about what's going on with…you know." There were people around and she couldn't say what happened earlier out loud.

Oh wow, that sounds so suggestive.

A look of understanding came to Nanoha's eyes and she nodded at that, accepting Fate's words without question. Throughout the trip she'd realized that Fate was not just your ordinary snot-nosed, timid and soft-spoken brat. She's actually very knowledgeable and Nanoha felt humbled by how much the blonde knows about this bizarre world the latter lived in. Of course, it never occurred to the White Devil that what Fate knows were common knowledge in earth.

"Here we are," the blonde's words snapped Nanoha out of her thoughts as they walked into the junction that Fate visited two nights ago. the tight hold over Nanoha's arm was relinquished as the blonde looked around for something, ignoring the strange look the passersby kept giving her. Well it was daylight after all, and Fate was acting like someone who lost her puppy.

The auburn haired woman just stood there under the cloudy midday sky and stared as Fate went to one end of the road and then to another end as though searching for something, asking people (and looking terrified as she did so) and earning weird looks.

"What are you looking for?" her curiosity got the better of her.

Fate sighed as she walked back to where her companion was waiting "for a fortune teller. She was here when I met her…and I figured that she would have known something about our situation."

Nanoha couldn't believe her ears.

"A fortune teller? You're bringing me to someone who reads cards…and see future through a crystal ball?" the pitch of her voice rose up at the end from…anger? Or disbelief? Fate was not sure. All she's sure about was that the glare the young general had on her face was chilling and it made the blonde 'eep' with fear and took several steps back on instinct.

The general stomped her feet in a rare display of frustration and growl out.

"Someone with that shady occupation would not be going out and about under daylight, Fate," the blonde was too shocked (and slightly happy) to hear her name coming out of Nanoha's lips to realize the contemptuous tone that came with it "if you want to see her, go look for her during nighttime at least! This is foolish! A waste of my time!"

And the angered general stomped her way back from where they came from, before stopping because of a distraction that came in a form of a vending machine. And like a curious cat, she was drawn to the vending machine that spoke up at her presence, because it has a speaker and a sensor, that was of course alien to the being from another world.

Fate just pouted sadly from the distance, feeling disappointment running inside her. Ever since she read Arcadia, she had thought that Nanoha would be a great person since she was portrayed to be someone who's unselfish, brave and courageous…and everything that the blonde was not. But now? Once they have met face to face, Fate was sad to notice that Nanoha was absolutely not at all like she had thought.

That woman was selfish, unfriendly and…to say it simple, a bit of a brat. She's very bossy and said so many hurtful things in the short hours they'd spent together. It was regretful and very heartbreaking for someone like Fate, who had looked up to Nanoha as an idol, to found out everything this way. The perfect image of the woman was shattered into pieces, along with the trashed living room and kitchen back home.

"Fate! Come here! This object is talking to me!"

Nanoha's excited voice was heard, completely oblivious to Fate's train of thoughts.

Sighing, the blonde immediately heed the call. It's not even a day yet and she's this exhausted. How long would Nanoha stay in this world anyway? She couldn't help but wish that Nanoha would return to her home world quickly…the sooner the better.

* * *

><p><strong>I usually upload the newest chapters over in my blog, if anyone's interested. So if I haven't updated here, I'd probably have there. Just drop me a word to remind me, and thanks for reading.<strong>


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